So you have gotten to the first page of Google for your focused keywords. You managed to escape being mauled by the Panda and Penguin updates. You are happy, right? Most often not so much. You thought that being number 1 on the search results page would increase your traffic, and therefore your sales, and simply put they aren’t!
This isn’t a new situation for most SEO consultants. We work tirelesly
to help clients get to the first position on search engines like Bing and Google, but often our clients seem to miss many of our suggestions, and recommendations on how to start. Then they come back and say “I am paying too much without increasing my revenue”.
Here are some things SEO experts need to explain to their customers in no uncertain terms, and if you are a customer reading this you should know.
- A real SEO strategy starts with a keyword analysis. All SEO expers would agree, however most customers just thing “I know what people look for, and it is this”. However, it is 90% proven in my experience that what the owner (therefore an expert in their niche) isn’t talking in the voice of the customer.
- Your Keyword analysis must drive all other aspects of the site. Thats right knowing what you want to be found for will drive your Page Title, URLs, Social media strategies, link building efforts, and even On-Page copy. Not knowing is like playing catch with lawn darts (for those of old enough we have played that game)
- Spending time doing this will make you more aware as a business owner of what your customers want and expect. If you think that companies like Coke, and Best buy don’t look for information about how people are looking for their information, you are simply crazy
- Being 1st on Google may not directly increase revenue, but it may indirectly increase it. In service based industries (like Law Firms, Consulting, etc) being first may not spawn the use of a Contact Form that is easily identifiable as direct revenue. Sometimes being 1st is about the prestige. They may see your phone number and call, and never mention being referred by the web.
- Focusing on a small audience may be better. There are 2 types of business models when they are all boiled down. Sell a lot for a little, or sell a little for a lot. Sometimes selling a lot to a small group of people is much more profitable then finding a few from the big group and selling to them. Think about the business you want, and market appropriately.
Working with a qualified SEO consultant will always start with the analysis. If it doesn’t, find someone else (shameless plug) like Us! Or simply tell them that this is where you want it to start. Then talk to your social media guru’s (maybe someone like Bright Blue Wave if you don’t have someone in house) about how to integrate it to your social media strategy as well.